LES MEUSES

LES MEUSES

A noria is simply a waterwheel. The norias date back to the end of the XVIIIth c., and they were used (they still serve this same purpose to this day) for carrying the water of a canal up to a tank, which then distributes it in lands which are higher in altitude than the canal. When the 'Marquise de Ganges' (the Marchioness of Ganges) arrived around 1600, she had a dam built on the Vis river for the canal that we know today to be water supplied. First of all, there were wells working with wheels, which were activated by horses, that were made to irrigate the lands located on a higher level. Then came the norias, at the end of the XIXth century. Six norias are still active, five of them have recently been renovated and one of them listed as an historical monument. Most of those wheels are located along the "Chemin des Meuses" (the Norias' path'). They are in perfect harmony with the environment, and they are one of the vestiges that serve as example of our heritage's renovation.